US Official: Kerry’s Syria Red Line a “Major Goof”

Monday morning in London, Secretary of State John Kerry apparently went off script with the hypothetical suggestion that the Syrian government could avoid American air strikes if Bashir Assad would turn over all of his chemical weapons within a week. CNN reports that a U.S official called Kerry’s unsanctioned red line a “major goof[2]:”

A U.S. official called Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks in Britain on Monday a “major goof,” saying Kerry “clearly went off script here.” The official was referring to Kerry’s assertion that President Bashar al-Assad “could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons” to avoid potential U.S. military action.

Unfortunately for the Obama administration, Russian president Vladmir Putin has alreadytaken advantage of Kerry’s “major goof”[3] by proposing to his Syrian friends that they accept Kerry’s offer. Syria has already said they are open to the idea. The idea here is obviously to complicate things for America and stall for time through diplomacy and inspections in the same way Iran has with its nuclear program.